Founded in Turin, the company built OHV twin-cylinder motorcycles which did very well on the racetrack.

Now well-known for its pistons, Borgo (Italian fabbrica velocipedi and motocicli borgo, later named Moto Borgo*) was founded in 1906 by brothers Carlo, Alberto and Edmondo Borgo in Torino where they produced some advanced designs . The early motorcycles were equipped with IOE 498, 693 and 827 cc engines.

Inlet Over Exhaust

Aka the F-Head, the IOE system was widely used in early four-stroke engines. Italiano: valvole di aspirazione sopra quelle di scarico; contrapposte.

In 1911 they adopted (and patented) aluminium pistons, an idea possibly borrowed from W.O. Bentley, and in 1914 incorporated a model with variable speed transmission by Correa (a copy of the Rudge Multi) that they called the "Borgo graduale change". The difference to the English system was that instead of moving the rear wheel to keep tension on the belt as with the Zenith Gradua, the Borgo moves the whole rear section of the frame backwards and forwards, and this section is pivoted below the saddle. The machine also has a clutch which allows use of the pedaling gear from a standing start, something that was unusual for the time.

In 1915 they built a 996cc V-twin and later would also have a 746 cc version.

Borgo quickly achieved fame in motorcycle racing, placing the brand among the pioneers of the sport. Edmondo Borgo won at Cremona in 1912, and Carlo Borgo won the Italian 350 Grand Prix in 1914.

In 1920 they produced a unit-construction 477cc v-twin engine with four-valve heads and with the oil tank mounted on the frame rails above the tank (as can be seen in the team photo with Vittorina) and in 1921 they built a competition OHV 496 cc V-twin with four valves per cylinder that would compete in the Italian Championship in 1923. Vittorina Sambri raced Motoborgo machines from 1914 until at least 1922 when she won a round of the 500cc Italian Championship. In the 1950s she ran a Moto Guzzi dealership in Ferrara with her brother Romeo, also a champion rider.

Python Four Valve Head

Around 1920 Borgo began to import Reading Standard motorcycles from the United States to which they fitted, quoting Yesterday's NL, "a stunning Italian 'Moto Borgo Torino' family sidecar". The production of motorcycles ceased in 1926, when the company decided to specialize in the manufacture of pistons.